The True Artist
by TechAndIssy
Summary: The original beta tester, Hairukio Nagatama, is sucked willingly into the death game, SAO. There's more to him than anyone knows. He has fun with the danger of death, and knows more about the game than anyone else, but he hides it well. Unlike any other beta tester, there's mystery on his whole being. OC x Multi/Harem. Kirito will show up as a minor character, personal preference.
1. Chapter 1

**Sup everyone. It's Issy here. My friend Techhy and I now Co-Own this account! He kind of lured me into the website and when I got some good ideas, this happened. Sorry do disappoint the few of you who read his (as he put it) "Completely wanked-up failure of a story", but it's gone. Quick note- I changed a few small things around, like Asuna was a beta tester, and the complete removal of Klien and Kirito. Characters will be OOC for some of the story's dialog and actions, but not completely. Always been jealous of Kirito, lucky bastard. HOW DO YOU LIKE IT NO- Ahem. Anyways, let's get on with it. Welcome to SA- I mean, uh, Chapter One!**

 **Disclaimer: I think this is fairly obvious but I don't own Sword Art Online! Shame. Or not, whatever. Wouldn't be as good of a show if I was the one running it!**

{The True Artist}

Chapter one: Not-So-Subtle beginnings

WARNING-WARNING-WARNING

This chapter and the next 1-2 will be a big ass flashback of my OC, Hairukio, starting out in the beta after the first paragraph. The current time is actually the release of SAO and will be continued in chapter 3 or 4.

"Oh yea! It's finally released!" And I was the first in line, Hairukio Nagatama! I've been waiting 2 and a half years' worth of teasers and advertising for the newest, best VRMMORPG. "Sword Art Online..." Just saying it made me feel amazing. Granted, I was one of the Beta Testers, but I was actually that good of a player... Possibly the best out of all of them, beta tester or not! I knew more about it than anyone, and I knew to use that information wisely. Right off the bat, I thought of all the new players. This game could be really challenging, and a handful would rage quit early on. But they will have missed out on so much, this game was that amazing. I mean, I can't say for others, but I got up to floor 13 and it was the most fun I had in a while. Ah, I blew a solid amount of money on this, but at least I had the NerveGear ™ from the beta. Well, more like since HE chose me specifically for the beta… I just hope beyond all else SHE got a non- beta copy... Asuna... She was the first one I met in there. I can still remember how we met. And how I fell in love. Or at least, that's how it felt. She was truly amazing, and she even taught me a thing or two. Before her, I was just some overly-eager player, who had high hopes and knew the benefits of others, but I couldn't stand being around anyone I had met in real life. Then she came along. Or more like, I went to her.

{FLASHBACK START}

She was just sitting off to the side, hiding in a cloak. I saw her there after all of us Testers linked in, and I went over to her. Of course, I knew so much about the game, more than most. Don't bother asking why, I'm not telling! I was going to ask if she wanted to go hunting or something since its easier when you're together. When I sat down beside her, she didn't acknowledge me. I coughed because hey, I'm not so good at being social. "Uhm, hi. I'm Hairukio. (I use my name, don't judge) I was wondering... If you, uh... Wanted to go hunting with me? I've learned some tips and tricks and I could show you some good, uh, spots. I-I mean, if you wanted to." The cloaked person shifted their head towards me and nodded a small bit. I said," Well, it's nice to meet you...?" Said person just shook their head and stood there, waiting to follow. I noticed the rapier at their side, quite unlike my dual maces. I took my weapons out, shouted, "Try to see if you can catch up... Asuna!" And I took off. I could practically hear her gasp and chase after me. I looked behind me and saw her matching me step for step, but I was ahead of her. After a solid 3 minutes of running, I flopped down on a log in the large clearing I stopped in. I hear her behind me a few moments later, and stand beside me. She stared straight at me, and said," How did you know my name?" I chuckled and said, "Can't you see the bar above my head? The Heath bar" She nodded slightly, still giving me a curious glare. "Well, look underneath it, to the left. It shows another player's name. "Hai-ru-kio... Is that your name?" she tentatively asks. "Sure is! Well, now that we got that cleared up..." "Okay, yea, you said you were taking me hunting, didn't you? Let's go already, you wasted enough time as is!"

"Wasted? There's no need to be in a hurry. This is the beta test, nobody but me knows about these spots yet!"

"Well, how do YOU know about them?"

"It's… a long story. You wouldn't be interested," I said with a sigh. I didn't feel like putting myself and my misfortune, some may call it luck or an advantage, on blast to the rest of the players that were in the beta with me and her in Sword Art Online.

"If you say so…"

"Anyways, I don't think we should hurry there. I mean, this may sound weird or cliché, but I just try to enjoy the small things in life. You never know if you'll miss it. Even the most seemingly insignificant things can be enjoyed. Who knows, maybe one day you can make an amazing memory where others just blew off."

As I finished my sentence, I felt the log I was laying against shift as a new slight weight was added to mine. I looked over to my left to see Asuna beside me, taking off her hood. She looked down at her hands, thinking about my apparently profound statement. I was just focused on her beautiful orange-brown chestnut hair, similar to mine. It was long, and flowing gently as a soft breeze was blowing through the forest. I then looked at how it framed her perfect face, making her hazel eyes seem all the more stunning. I don't know if this was just her avatar, or if she does the same thing as me, while I strive to make my characters look as similar to me as possible. That way, I'm not just some shoddy who hides behind a wrecked self-image. I'm me. The real me. But even if she didn't look like this... her avatar at least, was perfect. And I have a hunch she's like me in more ways than the avatar.

I must have drawn her attention, as whilst I was staring, admittedly with a somewhat dreamy look, she meekly spoke up. Ah, it was cute, and I could tell she was feeling uncomfortable.

"S-stop staring at me…"

She turned to face me, and must have gotten her first real look at me. I mean, I know she obviously had to look at me, but she acted like she didn't focus before. I saw myself reflected in her slightly widened, brilliant hazel- and I'm getting off track-, eyes, seeing my own short and spiky brown hair of a shade darker yet still similar to hers, my coal black eyes. Granted, I took some 'artistic liberty' and included some small, barely noticeable yet subtly visible flecks of purple that I heard others say they saw on occasion. The game can't form itself to be you without your visions, so I made it be me. Even my build, which was fairly built yet toned and formed nicely (Like Kirito for example. Ugh. I don't hate the guy, just thinking of him makes me envious.), was reflected. She has a growing blush as she stared at me like I had been staring at her. (But hey, it's not like in a perverse way, got it? Being a perv is Techhy's job.) [HEY! THAT IS- Okay yea maybe a bit… Ah, screw off already you dirty wanker] in care for her face-wouldn't you?-, I wouldn't want the blood rush to make her pass out, and partly to make her that bit more embarrassed, I spoke up.

"Hey, I get it, I'm attractive. It's probably best for your head is you stop staring and blushing. You'll get light-headed. I get it's hard not to stare but I manage in the morning," I said with a wink and a smirk. Usually I don't try to talk about myself in an admiring way, but I was just playing around with her. No harm done.

She let out a surprised eep sound- which was adorable by the way- and fell back a bit as I snapped her out of it. I held out my hand, and waited for her to accept it so I could make up for making her fall over like I did, and she took it. It was soft and just feeling it make me start to blush. Hey, I don't tell you how to live your life! (#NameTheReference)If you had a very attractive girl... yea… very… holding your hand, wouldn't you? I coughed a bit when she started staring at me again, this time standing up. I repeated,

"Hey, didn't I say you shouldn't stare? If you keep this kind of thing up, I'd say you fell in love at first sight." (Oh, the foreshadowing is strong in this one) She then looked away, embarrassed yet again, and before she could offer a retort, I quickly said "Anyway, I think we've delayed for long enough to appreciate this view (And maybe not just talking about the clearing ;) [Uh… Hypocrite alert!]) So I think it's about time that we go hunting. The best place on this floor is pretty close to here, just a minute or two away. The monsters there are weak with low health and attack, give lots of Col and experience, and drop some good items and armor too. And don't worry about danger- the monsters, if you could even call them that, are too weak to do anything. Though I faintly remember some kind of challenge, like a strong enemy…" I knew the second I stopped talking, I had jinxed myself. At that very same moment, a rustling was heard from the undergrowth as a loud squeal was heard, followed by a scream.

A massive beast had pinned down Asuna. The beast was very similar to that of a boar, only twice the height of me or Asuna, and had eight tusks. Not to mention its razor sharp teeth obviously meant for a carnivore. I, without hesitation, leapt up and instinctively drew my weapons. I then proceeded to charge at it, shouting with as much strength as I was feeling, "GET OFF OF HERE YOU FUCKING BEAST! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Oooooh, a cliffhanger. I'm a mean one, aren't I? You should definitely expect some action next chapter. I know, I know, this was total shit. Shit it may be, I can't just quit it either. But hey, it's my first fanfic (Me, Isaac, not Techhy) so I gave it my best. I bet I'll get a lot of hate for all… this. The removal of Kirito, the small word count, the change in time and space, caused by yours truly. But I don't mind personally. I mean, I gave it my best and it's all I could hope for. Be expecting the newest update to this story tomorrow, give or take a day if I can get myself together. I am definitely going to have an update schedule for the next few weeks by the 3rd-5th chapter. It's not easy as I first thought, but damn if it isn't a great feeling when you're finally able to join the community and let your influence be spread, aaaaaaaaaaand I'm going into philosophical mode. I have really got to stop doing this. Anyways, thank you for reading this story, be sure to follow it for more, favorite if you like, and if you want to just critique my work or add a comment, leave a review, eh? [My review- next time let me beta read and help before you're seconds away from posting this. -_-] this is Issy, and fuck Techhy's outro's I'm doing my own! [I thought it was good…]

See you all in the next chapter! BYE!


	2. Chapter 2

**Foreword- Every chapter I get at least one review/question I'll be answering them in a foreword or a shoutout, and the first goes to MattyTF for reviewing this story first!**

 **Sup everyone, Issy here. Ah thank god, am I glad to be back, I presume it's been a day after posting the first chapter? I actually don't know at the moment since I'm typing this riiiight after last chapter. Hopefully I will be posting much faster -not to mention actually posting- than Techhy was. Little bugger [Dirty prick... But it's true.] Okay, my story. Get out.**

 **Is he gone? Yea? Okay. Also, I'm really busy what with moving and I'm what Marlin would call a delay fish. Anyone get the reference? Okay in all seriousness, as the time of typing, I haven't even really made a title for this but I obviously will by the time I post the first chapter. On a side note, the previously mention person [Me, since he isn't clear] is going to act like a beta reader so... sorry to the 0 of you who offered. Also, I do apologize to all you Kirito fans for my harshness last chapter. I actually admire him; just wish I was in some of his situations. A.K.A this story. I'm going to add him in later, anyway, tell me what you guys think of the story, and constructive criticism is always welcome. Flames will be used to burn haters at the stake.**

 **Disclaimer:**

 **I don't own Sword Art Online. If I did it would be a disaster. [And would probably be hentai] Probably not, just bad. [Sure, Sure. And I'm a voice inside your head. In this fanfic, you kind of don't exist. So you kind of are. And I kind of wouldn't make it like that. [Damn your logic.]**

{The True Artist}

Chapter two- Can't spell slaughter without laughter.

When you love something, you don't just love the fun and exciting parts. You also love the boring an uninteresting. If you don't accept that, you're just staring at that something's butt as it walks by. You Perv.

-Whoever the fuck said it first, I'm taking your quote and making it better.

A massive beast had pinned down Asuna. The beast was very similar to that of a boar, only twice the height of me or Asuna, and had eight tusks. Not to mention its razor sharp teeth obviously meant for a carnivore. I, without hesitation, leapt up and instinctively drew my weapons. I then proceeded to charge at it, shouting with as much strength as I was feeling, "GET OFF OF HER YOU FUCKING BEAST! I'LL KILL YOU!"

I raised my two maces over my head, and with impossibly vast speed, I hammered and rained blows upon the skull of the vile beast, as it continued to squeal and scream. I then landed a final kicked to its head, and proceeded to launch myself off and land on the ground 10 meters away. I activated my most powerful sword skills, and held my maces together. I felt the system launch me into the air, and I spun around and cut through the air, creating a viable vacuum of drag resistance and air pressure, and all in the space of two seconds, I spun clean through its body. Unfortunately, said air pressure cut off when I made contact, and as I pierced the other side, I was effectively stuck in the boar.

Not even like, caught in its entrails. I was skewered through the boar, my feet handing out one side, and my arms, head, and maces on the other. I heard another scream, and I quickly spun my head around to see Asuna running over to me from her place on the ground. While this small fight with the boar occurred, she was paralyzed with fear, until now. She let out a sob of relief once she saw I was okay. With the exception of the 800-pound boar suit I was wearing. It felt like it was going to crush me. I quickly shoved myself out by pushing my arms and hands against its hide and twisting so I would slide out of the veritable tunnel through its fleshy carcass. Once I got out, I noticed my sternum (the place above your stomach) and down was soaked with pig blood. Thankfully SAO had some measures against that, and as the boar shattered, the blood faded. As soon as it did, Asuna reached me and glomped me. I mean, I've heard it said before that "Nothing says caring like broken bones" but… Jesus Christ [How horrifying!]. I saw her eyes closed, and her hair waving again as she sobbed in relief and smiled at me, knowing I wasn't dying. This was in all truthfulness, the closest I've been with a girl not related to me (Poor Hairukio…).

"And a very beautiful one at that…" I accidentally said out loud. Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

"…I'm not that pretty…," she said looking down once she had landed from her leap onto my now presumable cracked spine. (I find myself funny.)

I gasped as I quickly looked over her and replied, (maybe not too great in hindsight, but this was the present. At that point.)"Asuna… You're very pretty. I meant what I said back there."

Unfortunately, that did not appear to be the *best* response, and I felt my face hit the ground with an aggravated Asuna standing over me. I felt the swelling on my head, I heard her say one thing-

"Dummy."

Later that day, we were heading back to the town to sell the weak items and buy various things, such as potions or crystals. Being in beta, though, none of the NPC shopkeepers were very advanced, and you had to say JUST the right words for them to interact with you. After spending hours hunting, I had enough money to buy the best equipment on the market. Granted, I had one thing going for me besides that. When I killed the mid-level boss, it dropped a rare item. Naturally one thinks that they only came from true bosses, but there is a 1/1368 chance that a mid-level drops the same as the boss for that level. Exiting the shop, I walked over to Asuna, and tapped her on the shoulder as she was looking for me. Unfortunately, like usual apparently, she whirled around and punched me in the face. Once she saw it was me and not some perv [I KNOW YOURE TALKING ABOUT ME] (YEP!), she immediately helped me up and apologized.

"I'm so sorry; I didn't recognize you with that cloak. Forgive me?"

"Sure, I'd forgive you if you gave me a hug," I said chuckling at my joke. I had unknowingly just opened up an opportunity for her to hit me. I quickly realized my mistake, and braced for it. Instead, I felt her arms wrap around me while she laid her head on my chest, looking away. Judging by how she was doing so, I assumed she was blushing again. I smirked at this but chose wisely not to say anything this time.

"I hate you sometimes," I heard her quietly mutter as she looked away, but I could tell she obviously liked being this close. I had some idea that she might have liked me, there's no way I'm as oblivious as that Kirito, who was apparently some dumb boy my age who allegedly was going to "save the players of Sword Art Online" and had a veritable harem of girls after him. I actually learned quite a bit about him, and he is oblivious as fuck. He only knew one of them liked him, and that was when she told him. After all, HE told me about Kirito, and the old fabled prophecy that came with Sword Art Online.

"I know, but we're still friends, right?"

I heard her voice and breathing hitch for a second as she replied, stuttering, "U-uh yea, f-friends…" Yep. I knew it. But we had just met, so I wasn't even going to think about that kind of relation with anyone I met. Luckily, SAO had a sort of 50- year- old- pedophile protection, where you can only play as your true gender and an age around yours. Pretty much, you can't have that whole 'what if this is secretly some creepy guy' air of distrust when you meet someone. It's really a great thing, because with the world like it is, that happens all the time. But SAO isn't like the real world. It's a world of its own. In fact, I may go so far as to question- what is truly the definition of the 'real world'? What separates Sword Art Online from the world we all know? It can all be summarized in one word- data. The world, it's a living thing. But everything is still information, data passed along nerves. MMOs like Sao emulate it, but you can't match that kind of data. It's close enough for me though, and that's why I tend to like these types of games so much. Either that or I truly take after HIM.

I realized I hadn't said anything while thinking of all of this, so I said, "Asuna? Do you want to get a drink at the nearby inn? My treat." I winked at the end so it wouldn't feel like a pressuring question. She still blushed a bit. Maybe I tend to have that kind of effect on people when I hang around them. But I can't deny she as me blush once or twice.

"I-I would love to!"

"Well, let's get going!"

After that, we arrived at the inn. It was pretty cheap, only costing about 1,300 Col (Col is the Sword Art Online equivalent of Yen, the Japanese currency. For all you Americans, each US dollar is about 120-125 Yen, it fluctuates.), but it was well worth it. We talked a lot, we learned a lot about each other, and then I paid for 2 rooms at the inn. It was a bit of a struggle since the dialogue was flawed, but still manageable and so we each ended up going to bed. It was an amazing night, and I couldn't wait to do it all again until the full release.

 **Well that was a… not as long chapter. I think that should pretty much wrap up this arc of the story, the flashback. For now… hehehehe. Anyways, by tomorrow I should be posting the NEXT chapter of the story, with my plans for updates changing from every day to really once every 0-3 days… sorry! This was Issy, signing off.**


	3. Chapter 3

Hel-LO everyone! Issy the otaku here and I have returned from the perilous journey of... Work. Yea, almost didn't want to type this since I was so sick of typing shit since I had a few essays to finish before August -_-

[It's your own fault for putting it off until now.] Oh, shut it you. Anyway, it's finally time for the flashbacks to end, and our hero Hairukio stops thinking back and gets on with playing SAO. He's wasted like

5 minutes thinking. What a waste. But hey now he's that much closer to 13:00! But unlike most people, he knows what's coming. I'm not going to spoil how, that may come up soon or in a few chapters. I'm just as anxious as whoever bothers to follow this story, except it is because I'm the one typing. [Oh, boohoo. Get over it.] ...You can be such an ass sometimes, Techhy [Searching for fucks to give... No fucks found] Exactly. BUT! I would like to thank all of you who read and/or favorited and/or followed and/or reviewed this story. I know SAO isn't the most popular fandom and I'm thinking of ideas for more stories. But do not fret; I'm keeping this one up. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own SAO and never will. :( [Otherwise it would be a kick in the balls for the fandom] Yea...

{The True Artist}

Chapter Three: Back to the Present

As I hopped back into my car, A 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata for all you vehicle aficionados [I had to tell him to include that, too many people neglect the small details.] (And now you know where the first story's speech came from), I drove like a madman back to my house. I felt bad for the other 9,999 players I knew would log on soon. I knew what was coming for them. At the same time, I both wanted, and yet would have hated the circumstances, game, and myself if Asuna logged into the game with the others. I really did not want anyone to die. I did not want the pain and suffering. But what are the few lives… to the enjoyment of the many? And now, don't go thinking I'm sadistic or anything, those were HIS words… the words of Akihiko Kayaba himself. Yes, I knew the man. I thought I did at least. He was once a brilliant and great man, focused on improving studies of technology and the nervous system. His leaps went so far that he could use it to map out any person's system and brain, mainly used to search for and/ or repair any sort of damage caused. But then came Virtual Reality gaming. Sure, false, barely realistic versions have been going around, but those were mainly just googles or whatever that turned and moved with you. What he was able to do was… astounding to say the least. He made a machine that literally uses microwaves to redirect the passage and path of transmissions sent and received by neurons in order to not only make the player 100% in contact with the game, sight, smell, pain. But the game responded to them individually. He ditched his scientific research to devote everything to video games. Every time he accomplished something significant enough for the game in his eyes, whether it is progress, skills, NPCs, or even bug fixes, he came to me. I rarely ever died, which I think played a hand in his decision to use me to alpha-test everything. Every now and then I hear someone saying "Oh yea! I know such- and- such who was a beta tester for Sword Art Online. You know that amazing game that everyone has been talking about!" I would mainly just ignore them, seeing as how my accomplishment trumped theirs. I was no beta tester. I was the ALPHA tester. The original. But in some ways… I didn't like it. It was lonely in the Alpha. Nobody but NPCs and, on occasion when we wanted to see something for himself or test a new weapon/idea before sending it to me, Akihiko Kayaba himself. Or, as he liked to call himself, Heathcliff. The red knight.

In Sword Art Online, everyone is free. There are no true limits. Granted, there are repercussions, such as getting your account suspended, as I discovered when I attacked an NPC village. That day… was a bleak one. My sister had been put in a coma. I didn't know why, or how. All I know is one day, my mother came home crying. I only lived with her and my sister Yuzu, because my dad was a pedophile in secret. More about that later (like in the next few chapters. Remember this. It'll affect his feelings towards a certain character. If you're anything like me, you'll know who.) [Like you? A lonely writer? OHHHH! You mean- Wait a minute. I know who you're talking about. Shit. I'm not lonely! I swear!]. As I was saying, one day, about ten months ago, I was having myself a good time in the game. Akihiko himself joined me to "test out the capabilities of his newest weapons on some updated bosses," but I knew he kept those in reserve for when he wanted to enjoy himself. I mean, with being the creator of a video game, mindlessly typing code or fragmenting and compiling data charts and configuring player stat totals and analyzing this or that, would be endlessly boring, so I completely understood that all he really wanted to do was take a break from the typing and enjoying the fruits of his labor. As the old saying goes, "There's nothing more boring than watching someone else play a video game."

After we killed a few bosses, got some assorted loot that we sold, I had to log off for the day to get something to eat, since the food in Sword Art Online of satisfies your character's hunger, not your own. I 'woke' from the dive only to hear the sound of sobbing coming from downstairs. I quickly went down to the kitchen, only to find my mother sitting at the table, weeping and covering her face with a handkerchief. That day, I learned two things. One, that nothing is more important than family, because while I was distracted 'testing', the second thing happened. My sister, the one I had been protecting her whole life. My sister, who may be four years younger than me, but made up for it in her feistiness. That formerly inextinguishable fire… was put out. I visited her every day. After I went to the hospital for about an hour or two, I came home and prayed. I would rarely eat or sleep. I either was visiting, playing Sword Art Online, or trying to sleep without success, and lied awake. I could never bring myself to do anything. I just slogged through the day, not caring about anything. The beta test came by for Sword Art Online. I was excited, and forced myself to be just as happy outside the game as I was inside of it, but the thoughts still lingered. I never stopped visiting Yuzu, though. She was the person I was closest to. I would just sit at the chair beside her bed, bring her new flowers, and wait for her to wake up from her coma, and then everything would be okay. It never happened. As the months in the beta test passed, it started affecting my virtual life. Asuna noticed, but every time she asked me what was wrong, I merely told her that I had some 'family issues' going on. She knew I wasn't being completely honest, but she just moved off of it. I hated that I had to lie to her, but I didn't want anything in my life making anyone else's worse. I didn't want to be a bother, and at the same time, I didn't want to be bothered.

The full release of Sword Art online made everything better. Especially since, being Akihiko's Alpha, and generally his friend, (He is not in a yaoi relationship with Akihiko. I could never bring myself to write yaoi… it makes me sick reading it. No offense to anyone.) I was able to convince him to help me with my sister's condition. With a little tinkering of his, and me helping him adjust a spare NerveGear™, we were able to change the basic function, working in an almost-shutdown brain, to work on unconscious people. Specifically, my sister. I was finally going to be able to talk to her again… All the more incentive to continue with playing Sword Art Online, even though I fully knew the repercussions of playing it, especially within the first 10,000 players. I could only hope that all our theoretical testing would be compatible. I took the disks and the NerveGears from home, and floored it to the hospital. I immediately put them into a backpack, and took it to Yuzu's room.

"I'm sorry I need to do this, Yuzu. It's for us. I've missed you and now we can enjoy each other's company." [What is this now, an incest fanfic?] (No comment.) [A) this is going to be one, isn't it? Dear god… B) Saying no comment IS a comment…] (Also, don't say anything about the plot. I told you everything about it... almost. Now that you said all that, I may not add it in. Maybe. You'll have to read to find out!)

I slid one on her head, and made her as comfortable as I could before putting my own on. It was about 12:58. I closed my eyes, leaned back, and when it reached 13:00, I shouted, both for me and Yuzu, who was looking peaceful. It was just me but she looked like she was smiling.

I yelled loud enough for the birds on the windowsill to flap away,

"LINK START!" (This would have been a perfect place to cut off, but my work count is only at 1,700 so I am going to describe his experiences logging into Sword Art Online.)

Luckily for me, Akihiko had set a small delay so I and Yuzu could meet up before the horde of people appeared. He conveniently disguised it as a color tunnel, and so when I and Yuzu had logged in-Me and Akihiko had already made her a character- we immediately saw each other. She looked around with widened eyes, at herself and at her surroundings, and then looked at me. I talked about the game so much around her, that she recognized it. She immediately ran up to me, and threw her arms around me. I was so overjoyed to see her. It's been over a year since I've seen her awake. I embraced her tightly, and was so happy she was here with me. I let go, and the other players started to log in. I looked down at my younger sister, hoping the best. I then had the smile wiped off my face, as I remembered one thing about this game. I looked over at the other thousands of players with pity. I lowered my head, but brought it back up when Yuzu started talking.

"So, big brother. Where am I? What happened?"

"Yuzu… I don't know how to tell you this. We're in Sword Art Online, the game I was helping Akihiko Kayaba to create. The reason you don't know… well…"

"Well what Hairukio? Did something bad happen to you?"

"Yes… and no. It didn't happen to me, Yuzu. You... You're in a coma in real life."

"How silly! If so, how can I be here, talking to you?"

"This game uses nerve technology that uses you mind, not your body. I made an adapted version to be able to take you here. It took a while, but I was so eager to have you back that I couldn't wait."

"That explains why it feels like my mind has just been blank for so long… I wasn't dreaming or thinking... it was blank… But wait! Since I know I'm in a coma, can't I now get out of it? Like a dream?"

"Yuzu… It doesn't work like that. Even if it did, we can't get out of here. There's something… special about this game. You can't leave."

"W-what do you mean?!"

"It's impossible to 'log out' until the game is completed. I knew this right from the start… If you die in here, you die in real life. If someone takes off your NerveGear, you also die. I'm so sorry I brought you into this… I just wanted to see you again, and the doctors thought you'd never wake up, and so I thought we may as well and… something else."

"Rukio-kun, what is it?"

"If we beat the game, the NerveGear ™ will send out a euphoric signal that is used not only for feelings of pleasure and achievement upon waking up, but is capable of repairing mental damage occurred in game. It's highly likely that it can repair whatever it was that caused your coma."

"Oh Rukio-kun, I'm so happy! And we can be together in the game forever until it's beaten!"

"Uhm… What?" I replied as an anime sweat drop appeared on my face, causing several nearby players to look in confusion, and then return back to business.

She started blushing wildly, stammering as she attempted to clarify that she meant we should stick together to avoid dangerous situations. Unfortunately, the damage was done, and I now had a distinct memory of my sister accidentally professing love to me. Disturbing, yes. Completely unwelcome, I'd like to say so. But something in the back of my mind wasn't completely leaving it out. I ignored it, thinking it was just the joy of seeing her again, talking to me. I then said,

"Yuzu, I'm going out to look for someone in particular. I want you to stay beside me so nothing happens, okay?"

She nodded, still blushing a bit as I patted her long blonde hair. I chuckled as I saw her magenta eyes look up at me every once in a while, not believing it was me and not some dream that she wanted desperately to be real. With that, I held her hand –So she wouldn't get lost in the crowd, not because of… that. I'm not trying to come onto my sister [Not yet at least!] (Baka aro!) [Oh come on, don't use Japanese on me. Most readers won't know half of what you said. If they're as otaku as you, maybe.]- And searched everywhere for Asuna, only to get shoved by some ignoramus and fall right onto a... soft… cushion? Ohhhh no…. I looked up to see a pinkette furiously blushing, well more like all around furious.

I quickly backed up, and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry miss! I wasn't looking where I was going and tripped. My sincerest apologies for this… Uncouth action. Oh, my name is Hairukio by the way." I gave a small bow as my sister chuckled behind me.

"You'd better be sorry, pervert! And my name isn't 'miss', its Lisbeth! If you're going to embarrass me, get it right! But… You are kinda hot… and nice too…" She whispered that last part, but Yuzu glared at her and I chose to ignore it to not make her more embarrassed than she was.

I threw another apology over my shoulder as I hurried off with Yuzu, slightly blushing and looking for Asuna. Shame I didn't look back, or I would have noticed Pinkie- I mean Lisbeth- back there looking at me dreamily, and blushing while holding her hands to her chest, clasped above her heart.

"I will meet you again… Hairukio-san…" Lisbeth said to his fleeing figure.

Well that was certainly a… off- putting chapter. With all the talk of COMAS and DEATH and PEDOPHILIA [BY THE WAY ITS-] NO! MY STORY! OUT! [Techhy has been banned by server. Reason: DON'T SPOIL IT!] Now THERE'S something you'd understand. A Minecraft ban screen. Anyway, thank you all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting this story. It really means a lot to me. Even though he doesn't acknowledge it, or does anything, he still takes it as gratitude whenever someone follows this since he beta-reads and interjects in the story. I'm sure he'd like to thank you but, I kinda banned him a few minutes ago, so thanks for all your support! From both me and Techhy. Also: Next time, we're going to meet ANOTHER new character or two. And I mean, I guess I overdid the Lisbeth scene but I was like 'why the fuck not' and Techhy thought it was written well if not making the most sense character-wise. Then again, it's also an OOC story. Anyway, thanks especially to Techhy (For beta and reviewing) and MattyTF for reviewing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello every one of the SAO fandom! Issy here, with a new chapter of The True Artist. After Techhy made a new chapter, I decided to make another one. And here it is! [You're forgetting why I took so long to make one!] Yea, this little idiot lost his flashdrive. [No, no the OTHER one.] Oh yea. He's turning into Kirito. He has…**

… **A girlfriend. The end is near.**

In the meantime, let's get this story started!

Disclaimer: SAO/GGO/ALO is not mine.

{The True Artist}

Chapter Four: Let the Games Begin! 

I pulled Yuzu with me through the crowd, combing through the herd of newbies with a beta here or there. I saw a few people that kind of looked like her, but they turned out to be different at second glance. I saw this one guy who with brown hair and blue eyes, about 1.93 meters (6 feet, 4 inches for all you people in the United States) [Um, okay I get it, you're using Metric for measurements and Japanese currency to make it realistic but don't act like you're Japanese too, fucking weeaboos...]. He reminded me of a really annoying person I am forced to associate with frequently, so I slapped him as I walked by. [Hey! Don't use this as an excuse to abuse me…] needless to say this pathetic newbie was shocked and glared at me as Yuzu just gave me a knowing look.

I ended up wandering back to a fountain I vaguely remembered from the Beta tests. I looked it up and down. It was in fact one I had helped Akihiko Kayaba himself design. It was of 6 people, with a taller one stand-in proudly in front of the other 5, wielding two maces. Hey, just because I put a statue of me- and others- in the game doesn't mean I'm some egotistical freak. I really don't know who the other 5 are, but I put in a person with a small bird-like dragon, a person –who vaguely resembles Asuna, now that I think about it-, one like my sister –Who Yuzu was quick to point out and smiled at me [I keep telling you, I get that it's foreshadowing, I know these things…] (Because I tell you… Now, stop ruining my story or I won't give you credit anymore!)- A blacksmith because those are awesome, and one with a long ponytail. This all brought back memories of the Alpha and beta test… I met Asuna at this fountain. I spun behind me to see Yuzu staring at someone sitting at the base. A person in a cloak…

"Asuna!"

"H-huh..?!"

I saw her look up and around for who was talking to her, then her eyes fell on me. She gave me a smile, and patted next to her. Her smile disappeared as she saw me holding Yuzu's hand and she looked down as I approached. I mentally sighed, thinking of how to best explain this... Maybe I should just-

"Hi there! My name's Yuzu, and I'm Rukio-chan's little sister!"

I quickly looked to see her extremely close to Asuna, so close that they were almost touching. I saw Asuna's face look up with renewed vigor, and then she stood up and took her hood off. Yuzu was shorter than her, standing at around 1.60 meters (5'3") while Asuna was about 1.65 (5'5").

"Well, it seems like you two have met! It's really nice to see you again, Asuna."

"Are you sure you two are related? I can't really see it!"

It was true, while I had spiky brown hair; Yuzu had long flowing black hair, with maroon eyes. Hell, even I don't know where she got those. I mean, even though I was only 17, I towered over her, and she was 16. [Well then, looks like someone not only looks like an ogre but apparently wants to be tall as one.] (In any other sort of situation, with all the first-person voices and such, this could be considered breaking the fourth wall. Like you seem to enjoy doing quite frequently in your own story, I may add. Now let me get this straight- none of that will be happening here. Unless, of course, a certain audience wants it, hmm?) [Sellout.] I smiled down at Yuzu, then looked up to Asuna and merely said,

"As far as I know- and I think I'd know by now- we're siblings. Nothing more, nothing less."

I looked over at Yuzu, expecting to see her laugh or roll her eyes, when she just looked down and gave a halfhearted chuckle. Unlike some heroes or whatnot I have heard of –or even met- I was not so clueless as to not see what was going on here. I sighed inwardly, and wisely just chose to act as dense as possible so that way nobody could ever hope to suspect my extremely accurate knowledge of people –or more specifically the emotions of the people who may be seeking something from me, be it affection, items in the case of robbers, or weakness in murderers and assorted vagabonds or mercenaries. Hell, I may as well start expecting those shortly after I start playing because I know in just about any other multiplayer online game; anyone who has any knowledge of the game beforehand is automatically singled out by the rest of community, or grouped with others. I knew that the other beta testers would also be treated similar to this, so I started my own personal quest to help any betas I can, and make this game safer. Or, at least as safe as it CAN be, with the whole, die in the real world thing. That's a bit of a bummer, really. One may think I was joking or merely using questing as a metaphor or such, but I quite literally opened up an portable console (Specifically called the System Access Remote Accquision Help, pretty much Akihiko wanted to make sure I wouldn't be alone by giving it a human name- Sarah- and an AI system, kind of like Cortana from that really old first-person shooter game, Halo.) and created a quest titled "Safety of the Originals" where there was no backstory prompt, but just one objective that I myself would have to check off- Defend the Beta Testers. Then again, some random players could be singled out and labelled just for being "Too Good" but they aren't my concern. In times like these, you can't really care for too many others. In fact, I probably shouldn't even concern with the beta testers. Too much of a risk. Sarah, on the other hand, had a different idea. In a very mature, if not noticeably seductive tone of voice… Damn it Akihiko, I'm not making love to a fucking computer, no matter how sultry or well-programmed it may be. Some things he just doesn't get… I get really off track, don't I? As I was saying, said computer complimented me for "Doing the one of the best things someone like me could do" Is that even a compliment?

Asuna smirked at Yuzu, yet she stood her ground and glared back. I glanced over and saw them both mouth "He's MINE."

Oh shit, I think this is happening.

I quickly tried to defuse the situation, by suggesting we go out and do some questing. I heard the now-mocking tone of Sarah saying, "Good save, Mr. Not- Dense."

I thought back, 'Oi, I'm trying my best. How are you even able to read my thoughts? That's… Disturbing.'

She replied sweetly, with a voice that practically gave me a cavity, "Oh, that simple! I'm part of your NerveGear, sweetie!"

I sweat dropped at this, only for Yuzu and Asuna to look at me funny. I spun around and insisted we do a quest called, "The Frozen Passions", without bothering to read what it was about. They both blushed, and as I stopped mid- stride to look over at them, I hurriedly opened up the quest log. I sighed at my stupidity, but the damage was done. I just put my head down, took out my maces, and shuffled away. The first step, to locate the secret lover of the daughter of a nobleman. I 'conveniently' put up a tracking marker, and we followed it, through a sunny forest, and into a cave, which entrance looked like a pair of lips. I just sighed again at this, and walked in, Yuzu and Asuna giggling behind me as they followed.

~~~~~Song Provided To You by Dean Martin~~~~~~

~~~~~Ain't That a Kick in the Head~~~~~

 _How lucky can one guy be?_

 _I kissed her, and she kissed me._

 _Like the fella once said,_

 _Ain't that a kick in the head?_

We went passed rows of heart- shaped boulders, and after about five minutes of walking, we saw a man frozen in a block of ice, also shaped like a heart. The second I read through the description of this mission, i knew it was the quest that couples did together. I let loose another sigh, as I de- thawed the man. He went tumbling to the floor, and I helped him to his feet. He started panicking about his lover. I attempted to reassure him that she was fine, but instead he ran deeper into the cave. NPCs, man, I tell ya. Asuna and my sister were already chasing after him, and I strolled along, remembering when i had to beta-test this mission with Sarah, since it requires two people.

"Aww, honey, you remembering one of our times together? How cute!"

At this, my head flopped down, and I heard Sarah giggling, as her code went away, to tease me later.

 _The room was completely black,_

 _I hugged her, and she hugged back._

 _Like the sailor said, quote,_

" _Ain't that a hole in a boat?"_

The three of us ended up in a dark cave, the only light emanating from a moat-like pool surrounding the edges. This mission, I designed myself. I just felt that it added a little something extra. This room was probably one of my favorite parts of the mission, especially since very few remember about it after the mission, even though it would be a great place for couples to just, spend time with one another. The wet-looking stalactites shined in the semi- dim light, and the man, formerly trapped, was sitting on a bench-shaped rock formation, I went over to him and said, "Hey man, we may not really know each other, but I want to help you out. I can take you back to her. Just come on."

"But, her dad would never approve of me! He hates all commoners, like me, or you!"

Ouch. The sting was real. "You never know, maybe he will realize how much love you two are in. He's probably a very sensible man. You just won't know until you ask, and if you never ask, you'll never be with your true love."

 _My head keeps spinning._

 _I go to sleep, and keep grinning._

 _If this is just the beginning,_

 _my life, is gonna be, Beautiful._

I could see the confidence on his face as I said that, and then he got up, shouting, "You're right! It'll be okay! Thank you!"

As he dashed away, Asuna and Yuzu came up on either side of me, and with glittering eyes, started saying things like ,"You're SO romantic! "Great job, brother!"

A new voice standing outside the cave, said, "That was AMAZING! I LOVE YOU HAIRUKIO!"

The three of us looked over, with Yuzu and Asuna about to rage out on the new girl, only for there to be nobody, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of brown pigtails and a blue tail. Well, at least this explains what I felt earlier, like someone was watching me.

I had a stalker, and I was officially weirded out.

 _Tell me quick,_

 _Ohhhoahoh,_

 _Tell me quick,_

 _Ain't love a kick,_

 _In the hea~~~~d!_


End file.
